Apparatus for use in annealing or otherwise treating metals



A. HOWGATE. APPARATUS FOR USE IN 'ANNEALING OR OTHERWISE TREATING METALS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, I920.

1 Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

ALFRED nowenrn, or KEIGHLEY, nnenAivn' Specification of Letters Patent. Pate ntgd A 0, 29, 1922,

Application filed February 25, 1920. Serial No. 361,172.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED HowoArna subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of Clovelly, Riddlesden, Keighley in the county of York, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Use in Annealing or Otherwise Treating Metals, of which the following description, together with the accompanying sheet of drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in annealing metal and more particularly to the annealing of iron castings to render same malleable, the castings being placed in pans during the process of annealing. The object of my invention is to cheapen the cost of such processes by lengthening the life of the pans used therein. In the process of annealing to which my invention relates the metal articlesare placed within pans which are usually open ended in the form of sectional annealing receptacles adapted to be placed one upon another so as to form columns for the receipt of the articles that are to be treated. These articles are put into the pans or receptacles together with ore or other suitable material so that the whole space is occupied from the lowest to the highest pan in each column. The upper surfaces of the pans are then covered with appropriate material usually moulders sand or other refractory material. The pans are placed within furnaces into which flames of the fire project so that the hot gases and flames impinge upon the walls of said pans and heat them to the desired temperature at which they are then kept for any desired period.

In the process as usually carried out the outer surfaces of the metal pans are exposed to the oxidizing or other deteriorating action of the flames and gases from the furnace of the pans and are comparatively quickly destroyed, their complete destruction for practical purposes being effected usually when they have been used five or six times.

I have found that I can very considerably lengthen the life of these pans by providing them with a protecting covering of refractory material such as moulders sand, so that the flames and hot gases from the furnace will encounter the refractory material instead of impinging upon the outer surface of the pans. To retain said outer protective covering in position upon said outer surfaces of the pans so that no crevices or openings may be produced by the heat to which these are subjected, I make use of suitable framework which will fit loosely over the pan to form an appropriate space for the reception of the refractory 'materiahor I make projections on the outer surfaces of said pans of a tapering formation larger at the outer ends from the surfaces of the pan and smaller in contact with said pans, said projections being formed integrally with the pans or secured thereto in any desirable manner. The methods of retaining the protectivecovering as set forth will be made clear by reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is an elevation showing portions of three pans mounted or superposed to form a column, the upper one being shown with its outer surface unprotected or plain while the lower one show the application of framework constructed in accordance with my invention as hereinafter described.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on line E. F. of Fig. 1 and seen in the direction indicated by the arrow 00.

Fig. 3 shows in perspective the formation of the framework which I mount upon the outer surfaces of pans as hereinafter explained Fig. 4 shows a portion of a pan with tapering projections fixed thereon.

5 is a sectional front elevation of an annealing furnace, upon the fire grates w, 10 of which fires are situated so that the flames and heated gases from said fires may travel somewhat in the directions indicated by the arrows in order to heat the respective columns of pans a within said furnace. The

heated gases or products of combustion escape from said furnace through the fine a.

In carrying my invention into effect I make use of pans a of the cylindrical shape shown by the several figures or these may be of a rectangular or other shape to meet the requirements of any particular work that they have to perform.

In order to be enabled to retain a covering of moulders or like sand or other refractory material on the outer surfaces of the pan a I make use of framework 6 which I detachably mount upon said pans at and said framework is of such character that open spaces 0 exist between the flanges and ribs of same in order to receive the refrac tory material such as moulders sand or the like and retain same in position in order to cover the outer surfaces of the pans a.

I preferably form the framework 6 in sections as shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 8 so that several of these sections are required for covering the entire outer surface of the pans a described. This framework b I also form so that hooks it may take over the edges and extend into the interior of the pans a. while the upper bars 6 may lie upon the outeredges of the pan 0: for the pan above to rest upon, thus the detachable framework is securely' held in position. The bars of the framework 6 are of a tapering formation as illustrated by the drawings in order better to retain the covering material over the pans a. The refractory material may be placed within the spaces 0 after each column of pans a has been fitted or supplied with its framework and after being filled with the material when placed within the furnace, since by this arrangement the lifting of each pan in succession to form the column of pans a entails no greater difficulty or heavy work to be exerted by the workman than does the employment of the usual or ordinary pans without said framework since the application of the framework is carried out when each pan is placed in its position within the furnace.

It may be possible to have other forms of detachable'framework such as having tapering projections k which may be secured by being screwed upon the outer surface of the pans a instead of using the framework 6 above described, while it is obvious that should it be desired to have the projections is otherwise secured to the pans a as shown by Fig. 4: then said projections may be formed integrally therewith.

Such being the nature and object of my said invention, what I claim is 1. In the annealing of metals, a pan for the reception of the articles to be treated, detachable framework supported by said pan, and refractory material supported by said detachable framework.

2. In the annealing of metals, a pan for containing the articles to be treated, detachable framework mounted on said pans, ribs and flanges formed on said detachable framework, and refractory material contained between said ribs and flanges.

3. In the annealing of metals, a pan for containing the articles to be treated, detachable framework mounted on said pan, ribs and flanges formed on said detachable framework, said ribs being of dove-tail or under out form, and refractory material contained between said-ribs and flanges.

4. In the annealing of metals, a pan for containing the articles to be treated, detachable projections mounted on said pan, and refractory material mounted on said pan.

ALFRED nowearn. 

